To ask how to transform my body in 4 months

[UpSlyDown]

I’m 18 months on from my second child. Lockdown and two pregnancies have not been kind to my body. I was a size 10 before, toned and fit. I’m now around a 12/14 so not huge but just so so unfit, flabby and uncomfortable with myself. I’ve got awful cellulite, no tone to my body, saggy boobs and a wobbly stomach.
I’m aware of this but just keep eating crap especially a lot of sugar. An invitation has just come through for a friends black tie event in September. This has given me an incentive to make the effort to get in shape, healthy and comfortable and maybe feel good on the night.
Has anyone done this in this timeframe and what’s the best way? I have a gym membership but realistically can only go twice a week with two kids (one school, one nursery) and a busy job.
Any advice/encouragement?

3rd Callanetics - I remember doing it years ago, and just found it again and bought the original (80s fantastic) video on Amazon Prime.

What I like is Callan herself is a very firm but kind presence, no equipment bar something to occasionally lie on, and some kind of something to grab onto is needed (I do it on the carpet in the bedroom, and grab onto the footboard of the bed)

Whilst it's tough, it's not cardio, it's pure toning and strength - I'm still feeling the last workout 2 days later, as though I've been lifting weights!

I also run outside, and just getting out for an hour or so most days, whatever the weather has done wonders for my mental health with all this covid/lockdown blarghhh.

@Babbly

Look up Kayla Itsines BBG. You can do almost all of it by yourself at home with minimal equipment - you can do a lot of it holding kids or with them around/nearby, and they're short workouts for those with little time.

YES! Her 8 week beginner program in the app is amazing at getting back into shape. This was my starting point for losing 3 stone (20 kilos) since mid February this year.

Although, 80% of getting into shape is diet. I'm doing IF 16/8, watching carbs/sugar, and drinking 3 litres of water a day.

Seems to be working. It can be a slog, but whenever I feel like crashing out and eating everything, I look back at photos I took on the 13th February.

Good luck!

If you have the money for it, a personal trainer could be amazing.

I was very sceptical (and nervous!) but because of lockdown and gyms being closed it was one of few options and I needed to lose some weight. I'm so glad I did it as I found it so, so motivating.

I only did an hour a week with her in a local park, but that was enough to really keep my motivation strong and help me through the rest of the week. She brought all the equipment and everything was perfectly tailored for my body and my ability, plus she was a lovely person and great to chat to, so made it fun.

Now I've stopped seeing her because gyms are open again and I am no longer making the kind of progress I was with her!

@ivykaty44

weights, go to a gym if you can and work on the weights

This is what my PT told me. Weights all the way (with a regular cardio for fitness) the more muscle you have the more you burn. So your body pump is a good start. I'm adding food to my meals to up my protein. For example I would usually have toast for breakfast but now if I have time I'll have some scrambled egg with it. This keeps you fuller for longer. I'm only 3 weeks in and haven't weighed yet so I'll let you know if it works 😂

I am giving myself a big makeover after being a SAHM for 14 years, hitting 50 and putting on 2 stone.

I have lost 1.5 stone and am nearing my peak fitness back when I was 30. I have been doing Bodypump and running. It has totally changed my shape. I have dropped from a size 14/16 to 10/12.

I have 1/2 stone to lose. I used to diet at the beginning (mid Jan) but mow just eat super healthy, and quite a lot too.

First off, sugar can be addictive for many people. It absolutely is for me. The first thing I did when I chose to change my body was quit processed sugar completely. (This includes alcohol but I don't really drink, so it was no big deal for me.) It doesn't have to be forever but it does have to be for a relatively substantial period in order to break the addiction. It was genuinely hellish for a week or so. Then it was fine. Once I'd knocked the sugar habit my relationship with my appetite reset. I wasn't chasing blood sugar crashes anymore and able to learn when I was actually hungry and what I needed to eat.

I upped the protein and lowered simple carbs. I used to think I needed bread/potatoes/pasta/rice at every meal to feel full. I didn't. I still eat one or two portions of those every day. But nowhere near as much as I did. I eat all the fruit and vegetables I want and I enjoy them far more than I used to enjoy sugary crap. I went from obese to a healthy weight in about 4 and a half months.

I didn't exercise much at all in this time, so it was another 6 months or so before I got lean and toned. (About 4 months after I started exercising regularly). If you exercise and fix your eating habits at the same time, you should be well able to lose weight and improve your fitness and muscle tone significantly in 4 months. Put more emphasis into body reconditioning, so definitely go with high protein/low simple carb.

The other thing is, find an exercise that you really, really love and that fits into your lifestyle easily. I love my exercise. It's my treat that I hate not getting. I enjoy every minute of it and would do it even if it was bad for me because I love it so much.

I did this programme for 8 weeks.
www.sharnyandjulius.fit/fit-healthy-happy-mum-2021-sj-t. I did more than one round to get my fitness up (lost 35lbs and massively improved my time and strength).

1. use the gym twice per week- it’s absolutely better than not going at all

2. cut down on the sugar, look at ways you can eliminate gradually such as sugar in hot drinks, snacks etc

3. cut down on the alcohol

4. be arsed about your diet, you are kidding yourself if you think you’ll do this without some form of change but that doesn’t mean starving yourself or eating bland food.

5. switch your drinks to water and aim for the minimum of 2 litres, but around 3.5-4l on gym days

6. change the goal away from just looking good one night in September, a lifestyle change will mean you’ll feel just as good everyday. You can’t be arsed now because you’re at the starting point.

YOU CAN DO THIS!

Do you honestly think a size 12/14 person can’t look good at a black tie event?

Would you tell a friend in a similar position to either start starving herself for parts of the day, or to cut food groups unnecessarily?

Be kinder to yourself, and stop buying into the idea you can only be happy if you’re thin.

Exercise if you like, eat more veggies and less crap if it will make you feel better - your body is never going to suffer from that. But don’t ruin your own life for four months for the sake of a dress.

@TheVoiceInMyHead

Don't try and lose it too quickly. You need to allow time for your skin to shrink. If you don't you stand a much higher chance of saggy skin.

The OP isn’t doing extreme weight loss, just a couple of dress sizes. So don’t think this is a big concern.

I really recommend Ballet Beautiful. You can subscribe for just a couple of months and get access to their entire back catalog. It’s effective for what it is (find it easier to fit in with young kids).

No advice on the diet part though. Personally need to eat better for general health reasons :/

Intermittent fasting. I’ve lost a stone on it and it’s fine once you’re used to it. Don’t eat until 12/1. Then don’t go mad when you do eat.
I’ve been doing short exercise videos off YouTube. Mad fit or Joe wicks.

The bodycoach (Joe wicks) I did this a couple of years ago and lost 27inches (all over my body) in total and 20lbs.
The plan is 90 days

@ThursdayLastWeek

Do you honestly think a size 12/14 person can’t look good at a black tie event?

Would you tell a friend in a similar position to either start starving herself for parts of the day, or to cut food groups unnecessarily?

Be kinder to yourself, and stop buying into the idea you can only be happy if you’re thin.

Exercise if you like, eat more veggies and less crap if it will make you feel better - your body is never going to suffer from that. But don’t ruin your own life for four months for the sake of a dress.

Getting healthy isn’t about ruining your life. Clearly the OP isn’t happy with her situation otherwise she wouldn’t have asked the question. Being a size 14 when you’ve been a 10 all your life can have an impact on confidence and general sense of well-being.

Weight and body shape could affect some people’s mindset and it is easy to slip into a spiral and before you know it you’re in size 16 with an even longer road back to the goal.

Something that I find really helpful for sticking to healthy eating is meal planning. I sit on a Sunday and plan every meal and snack (I even add snack times but I'm aware that's a bit much!!). Have it written on display somewhere in your kitchen and when you do your food shop make sure you get everything you need for that weeks meals/snacks and nothing else. It also helps save money as you're not having to pop to the shops for random bits through the week and be tempted to pick up some sugary snacks!

I was around 104kg back in December and got diagnosed with diabetes so knew I had to do something. I was getting frequent migraines too and feeling generally unwell quite alot. I eat fairly healthy meals really. Lots of vegetables. However my problem was snacking. Chocolate, cakes, biscuits. To be honest the last couple of years have been a bit crap with my mum dying and I was ill and then covid came along. Eating became a comfort when I felt miserable. Eating was pleasurable. It was consistently enjoyable when I wasn't feeling good about myself and about life. After the diabetes diagnosis I made the decision to sort myself out. So I bought a load of delicious chocolate truffles along with a big bar of Cadburys chocolate and some nice chocolate biscuits!

With my mid morning coffee I have a square of Cadburys chocolate. After lunch I have a chocolate biscuit and a truffle. After dinner I have two chocolate truffles followed by a fairly small piece of cheese with cashew nuts. Breakfast I have a slice of toast and marmalade. Lunch is normally a bowl of homemade vegetable soup. Dinner is pretty much anything but with plenty of vegetables and on a smaller plate. I limit the amount of carb food intake such as bread and potatoes. What I would still really love to be doing is scoffing lots of chocolate but I must say the craving has diminished and I feel what I do now has become habit. My migraines have gone too. I also go out walking for 45 minutes each day. At the start I was a bit breathless going up a hill and now I don't plus I can walk further and faster. The diabetes is completely reversed too.

I am now 88kg. That's 16kg I've lost since start of December. That's around 2 1/2 stone. I weigh myself every Sunday morning and on average lose around 1/2 kg per week. Already I am looking fairly slim and my clothes are not as tight. It is so rewarding and I feel better about myself and generally more positive. The NHS BMI calculator has my ideal weight at around 78kg so I should lose another 10kg according to that but may just go for another 5 kg. There's a thing called the Smart BMI calculator which is a bit kinder.

You can eat bread and other carbs and lose weight. You need a calorie deficit that's all. Complex carbs, like wholemeal bread, a jacket potato, brown rice have additional dietary fibre and nutrients that refined carbs don't. What you want is not a diet or a quick fix but something you can stick with, not just when you want to lose weight. If you cut calories too severely you are likely to find it difficult to stick to.

WeAreTheHeroes I agree with that, and your sensible post earlier too.

Following - after 2 c section babies my stomach needs sorting
I’ve been running since January and it’s changed my shape and I feel loads better but I haven’t lost the 2 dress sizes I’d hoped I would doing it
I’ve probably lost a dress size.
Started January at a 14/16
Noe a 12
Want to be a 10/12

Eat less and move more. Drink lots of water. Eat more veg, fruit and protein. Lower carb intake. 16:8 fasting is easy : :late or no breakfast and no evening snacking does it. Use weights for toning up but take care of core strength first. Reducing calorie intake has more effect than exercising, but as you are not very overweight you won't be burning very many cals. Exercising will speed up your weight loss. You definitely have enough time to achieve this. Good luck!

Daily yoga
Chuck out all the junk food and don't buy any more
Good sleep so you don't feel tired and crave sugary snacks
No alcohol
Walk briskly wherever you go

This will really help you. Good luck!

I need to do this as well (have put on a "Covid stone" over the past year, which I need to lose in the next two months). I also have just been diagnosed with osteopenia which means I need to do more weight-bearing exercises but not high intensity/jumping/running etc. The diet part I can do (I low carb and have lost lots like that before) but am looking for good online excercise programmes. If anyone knows anything set to music/dancy I would really like that....

@Kotatsu

3rd Callanetics - I remember doing it years ago, and just found it again and bought the original (80s fantastic) video on Amazon Prime.

What I like is Callan herself is a very firm but kind presence, no equipment bar something to occasionally lie on, and some kind of something to grab onto is needed (I do it on the carpet in the bedroom, and grab onto the footboard of the bed)

Whilst it's tough, it's not cardio, it's pure toning and strength - I'm still feeling the last workout 2 days later, as though I've been lifting weights!

I also run outside, and just getting out for an hour or so most days, whatever the weather has done wonders for my mental health with all this covid/lockdown blarghhh.

I agree. That is an incredible sculpting workout. I remember seeing a friend who I'd seen just two weeks before and being staggered at how different she looked - she'd been doing callanetics and it was as though her body had just sucked in everywhere, especially her legs.

@WeAreTheHeroes

Find out your TDEE and eat 200 calories a day less than that. Track everything you eat and drink on My Fitness Pal. Eat more protein - 1g per lb weight daily - some fat and moderate complex carbs. Lots of veg to fill you up and provide nutrients. Do weight/strength training to build muscle.

This. Work out your tdee here. Log everything on MFP. Learning the calorie value of what I stuff in my face has been life changing for me. I was plagued by cellulite my whole life, even as a fairly slim 20 something, now nearly 50 I have none! tdeecalculator.net/

Start lifting weights.

Just to add to PPs' good practical ideas: practise visualisation to keep you on track towards achieving your specific goals.
Picture yourself at the black tie event: what are you wearing, how are you feeling, imagine the confident way you'll hold yourself.